Adjustable rearview mirror



J. R. WELLS Filed June l5, 1953 May 22, 1956 ADJUSTABLE REARVIEW MIRROR FIG2.

INVENTOR.

J OHN R. WELLS BY Mm) M ATTORNEYS taken 'in .connection with "rigidly supporting a mirror ltherein. seen that .the mirror 18 is xedly positioned Iwith respect to the arm 12. It will, of course, be understood that the United States Patent O This invention relates to adjustable rear-view mirrors,

and more-particularly to rear-view mirrors designed to be mounted on the `outer side of an `automobile door.

One object of this inventionwis to provide `a rear-view mirror for automobileswhich is universally adjustable and which has means within the -automobile for accomi plishing the adjustment.

A@Another object of the invention Yis to provide means 4for retaining the mirror at the desired position of adjustment yby mechanism locate'dentirely within the automobile. Adjustable mirrors mounted on the outer side ofk a vehicleare .often .provided with `a friction-type mounting lto maintain the `desired mirror sett-ing. However, strong winds at high speeds ltend to disturb the mirror setting.

" jIt Vis therefore-a further4 object of the invention to provide means entirely within the vehiclefor conveniently adjusting the strength of the friction-type mounting.

` Other objects of the invention `willfbecome more apparent as the following ,description proceeds, especially `when the j accompanying drawing, wherein: t, f p v -Fi-gure 1 is a view, partly invsection, of a rear view 3 mirror assembly constructed in accordance -with my invention and shown mounted on fan `automobile door; Qfligure 2 is a` partiallsectional view taken yalong the Figure 3` is a sectional view taken along the line '3`-3 i v'on Figure 1; and R `FigureAv-i's a sectional View taken along 4the line 4-4 i on Figure l.

[Referring now4 more particularly to the drawing and secured to the outer end of the larm as at 16, said frame It will thus be mirror and frame may be otherwise secured to arm 12,

v if desired, as by a -swivel connection.

A `socket block or support 20 is provided for supporting the .arm 12 for limited swivel movement, being rigidly `secured on .the outer side of the outer door panel 22 in* a manner hereinafter more yfully described. The socket block bulges outwardly as shown and is formed lwith a socket 24 which is open at the outer side of the socket i block to receive the inner end of arm 12. The 'bottom portion 28 of the socket is spherically-shaped `to receive the similarly shaped end portion '30 of arm 12, thereby `providing for full rotative movement of the arm and rocking movement thereof within a range determined yby the size of the mouth 32 of the socket. It is not necessary that `the end portion 30 lbe` a lcomplete sphere to i permit the above described movement but may be tlatl tened on oney side as shown.

Thefbot-tom of the socket 24 `is `apertured `as shown `from rod 40 to dei-ine an annular space.

u-re 4. A pin 37 which may be formed integrally with 4 the `socket block projects through an opening inthe outer door panel to prevent rotation of the socket block. A

gasket 39 may desira-bly be interposed between the socket j block and outer door panel.

The position of the mirror-supporting arm relative to socket block 20 is controlled -by suitable mechanism accessible within the automobile. This mechanism includes a rod 40, one end of which :threadedly engages the ball shaped end portion 30 of anm 12 and extends from that point through the passage 34 terminating at a point within the automobile.` The threaded connection '43;between the outer end of rod 40 and the ball-shaped end portion of armv 12 is tightened to such a degree as to prevent loosening thereof which might otherwise result from twisting action imposed upon the rod` from within the automobile. Obviously, mean-s other than the threaded connection 443 may be provided to effect the Rod 40 may be considered an extension of arm 12 and the arm 12 together with rod 40 constitute an elongated member for supporting the mirror.

Provision is made for drawing .the ball-shaped portion 30 of arm 12 into rather tight frictional engagement with socket 4 in order to maintain the setting of arm 12 in position with the mirror 18 at the desired angle. The inner end of the rod 40 projects through ythe inner door panel`47 and terminates within the vehicle. More specifically, the inner door panel comprises an inner panel portion 45 and a garnish moulding 44. lRod 40 projects ythrough openings 45 and 44' respectively in the inner panel portion 45 and garnish moulding `44, and has a threaded end portion 416. The threaded portion 446 will `.preferably be longer than ordinarily necessary so that A guide block 50`is secured to the inner side of garnish moulding 44 byfscrews 52.' Guide block 50 has a tubular extension 53 projecting into opening 44 and defines a slot 54 through which the inner end of rod 40 extends, and this slot is elongated as shown todetermine theV eX- tent of rocking movement permitted of arm 12 kand is of a width approximating the diameter of rod 40 Vto confine the path ofv rocking movement.

It will be noted that the dimensions of passage 34 and projections 36 are suihcient to accommodate the rocking movement permitted by guide block 50. y

A sliding member 60 isv sleeved on rod 40 between knob 48 and guide block 50. The knob 48 is formed with a tubular extension 62, the inner surface of which is spaced The tubular extension 62 of knob 48 receives a similar tubular eX- tension 64 on the inner end of member 60. Encircling rod 40 within the tubular extensions 62 and 64 is a coiled spring 66 bearing at one end against the bottom of tubular extension 64 and at the other end against a thrust washer 68 interposed between the inner end of the spring and the bottom of tubular extension 62 of the control knob.

It will be seen that the opposite end of sliding member 60 is formed with a pair of laterally extending flanges 69 which have `arcuate faces engageable with the similarly formed face 70 on guide block 50. It will be noted Patented May 22, v1956 3 1 that the face '70 of guide block 50 is curved on a radius Whose center coincides with the axis of rocking movement of arm 12 and that guide block 50 has a shoulder 72 which engages the anges 69 of the sliding member during rocking of arm 12.

Spring 66 is compressed between the knob and Sliding member and thus the sliding member is urged away from the knob, causing the arcuate surfaces of the sliding member to be pressed against the arcuate face '70 of the Vguide block, thereby frictionally resisting rocking movement of the mirror assembly relative to the guide block. ln addition, the spring 66 urges the Vknob to the right as viewed in Figure 1 and thus tends to draw ball 30 into socket 24 to increase the frictional contact of the ball and socket connection, lthereby resisting both rotation and rocking movement of the arm 12. The action of spring .66 urging ball 30 into socket 24 of the socket block is also relied upon the maintain the latter in assembled relation to the door.

The knob may be adjusted longitudinally of rod 40 by reason of the threaded connection with rod 40 to vary the degree of compression of the spring and thereby to vary the frictional forces which tend to resist rotation and rocking movement of arm 12. The knob maybe releasably locked in selected positions of longitudinal adjustment by means of the set screw 75 which threadedly engages in the tapped transverse hole in the knob, the inner .end of the set screw being adapted to bear against the threads on rod 40 in locked position.

The knob and set screw being located on the inner side of the door, adjustment of the compression .of spring 66 may be readily and easily accomplished to suit the needs of the driver. The mirror assembly maybe readily mounted on the door of an automobile. There is no danger of the spring and associated parts for maintaining the mirror adjustment, dropping between the door panels during assembly since these parts are all located on the 'inner side of the door.

While the mirror assembly thus described is shown mounted on .a vehicle body door, it will be understood that the same may be mounted on other structures with equal advantage. is toward a wrap-around front window construction, and the mirror assembly may be mounted below this part of the vehicle body adjacent the front edge of a front door if desired. In this way the guide block S would fasten t o the instrument panel.

The drawing and foregoing specification constitute a description-of my invention in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the `art .toypractice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What l claim as my invention is:

l. .The combination with a vehicle body wall having spaced inner and outer panels, of a mounting including an arm for supporting a mirror or the like, means on said Vother panel `having a supporting portion for said arm, .said arm and supporting portion yhaving a socket lon the The tendency in current auto design.

one and a part on the other received in said socket to provide -a swivel connection permitting rotation and rocking movement of said arm relative to said supporting portion, said arm having an extension projecting through a passage 'in said supporting portion and through said inner and outer panels, said inner and outer panels having openings for accommodating said extension, a guide block secured to said inner panel and having an elongated slot receiving .and engaging said extension to closely conne the path of rocking movement of said extension and arm in a single plane, and mechanism entirely at the inner side of said inner panel constituting the sole means for drawing -said part into said socket to frictionally resist rotation and `rocking movement of said extension and arm, said mechanism comprising an abutment on said extension at the inner side of said inner panel and spring means compressed between said abutment and guide block frictionally engaging the latter.

'2. The structure set Aforth in claim l, said abutment being Vz rdjustable longitudinally of said extension to vary the amount of compressionon said lspring means, and means `for releasably locking said abutment -in selected positions of longitudinal adjustment. l

3. The structure set *forth in claim l, said abutment comprising an operating knob onythe inner end of said extension, said spring lmeans comprising an element slida- 'bly mounted on said extension adjacent said guide block, and a coil spring encircling said extension and having its ends compressed between said knob and element and urging' the latter into kfrictional contact with said guide vblock. i

4. 'The structure set forth in claim l, said abutment comprising an operating knob threaded on the inner end of said extension for longitudinal adjustment relative to the latter to vary the mountof compression on said spring means, said spring means comprising an element slidably mounted on said extension adjacent Asaid guide block, a coil spring encircling said' extension and having its ends compressed between said knob and element and urging the latter Vintro frictional contact with said guide block, and means for releasably locking said knob in selected positions of longitudinal adjustment.

5. The structure set forth in claim 4, said locking means comprising .a set screw carried b y said knob and engageable with said extension.

References Cited inthe 'die of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS sime- 

